What can happen if you eat a lot of watermelon?
A fertile time in August and September, when you can eat watermelons without fear of nitrate poisoning, both small and large gourmets are looking forward to. When a huge, heavy fruit with a crunch breaks into two halves and a fresh honey aroma spreads around, it is impossible to resist.
And why hold on? Indeed, under the green peel, not only the sugary sweet pulp is hidden, but also a lot of vitamins, such as ascorbic acid, thiamine and carotene, folic acid, niacin and riboflavin. In addition to the fact that the fruit is a storehouse of trace elements, dietary fiber, sugars and moisture, watermelon - a diuretic used in therapeutic diets to cleanse the body, and for weight loss. At the same time, the culture has practically no strict contraindications.
Why limit yourself when eating a delicious dessert? Slice after slice of watermelon weighing several kilograms is sometimes eaten at a time, and even after a hearty family meal. And few people at the same time think that overeating in this case can harm health. What threatens the thoughtless passion for melons and gourds? How to eat watermelon: before or after meals? And what combinations of watermelon with other foods will bring great benefits to the body?
Who is dangerous about overeating watermelon?
An adult in good health can eat from 200 to 1500 grams of pulp per day, but it is better to adhere to the measure and do not eat more than 250–300 grams at a time.
But in the presence of certain diseases, consumption control is especially important. This list includes:
- problems of the genitourinary sphere, including urolithiasis;
- chronic pancreatitis;
- gastritis and cholecystitis;
- dysbiosis and a tendency to diarrhea;
- patients with diabetes.
Caution when eating watermelon is important for pregnant and lactating women, as well as those who are prone to allergic reactions.
So what happens if you eat a lot of watermelon? It is obvious that all nutrients, fiber and moisture will enter the body. But how will eating large quantities of juicy pulp at once affect your health?
Danger of overeating watermelon
The main component of watermelon pulp is water, which makes up 85 to 92% of the fruit weight. With the simultaneous ingestion of several kilograms of such a product, a person begins to experience a feeling of satiety, caused not by the nutritional value of food, but by its volume. After all, the calorie content of watermelon is only 38 kcal per 100 grams, and even a serious portion cannot replenish energy reserves.
But the moisture-rich pulp stretches the walls of the stomach, the pressure spreads to neighboring organs, causing discomfort. Expectant mothers suffer the most from excessive eating of watermelon. In the second half of pregnancy, when the growing fetus exerts pressure on the internal organs, even a couple of extra slices of watermelon causes frequent urge to urinate, nausea, and indigestion.
If watermelon as a diuretic can be successfully used for weight loss, then for a pregnant woman this property of an eaten fruit without measure brings only torment.
And for people with reduced, due to illness or individual characteristics, kidney performance, an excessive amount of eaten watermelon threatens with serious problems.Overworked due to such a natural diuretic as watermelon, the organs can, unable to cope with work, provoke swelling or simply refuse.
Large portions of any food can have serious negative effects on the kidneys, liver, heart and digestive system. Unpleasant symptoms after a hearty snack with watermelon include shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and weakness. That is, instead of a surge of strength and vivacity, such a tasty and desirable watermelon causes a completely opposite effect.
For this reason, you cannot use a large berry as a basis for a long-term diet, because the beneficial substances contained in watermelon pulp do not cover the needs of the body. And as a diuretic, watermelon relieves not of fat, but of excess moisture in the body. In addition, it is important to remember that the dietary fiber in the composition of watermelon activates the course of digestive processes. Both intestinal peristalsis and gas formation increase, therefore pain, bloating, and frequent loose stools are observed, threatening dehydration.
Especially often these circumstances are alarming if a person who has eaten a watermelon has problems with the gastrointestinal tract, or the watermelon has entered the stomach in an inappropriate combination.
How and with what is watermelon eaten?
Of course, vegetables and fruits are a source of vitamins, mineral salts, energy and other substances that are extremely important for the structure and development of the body. Watermelon is no exception. But to get the maximum benefit, it is not enough to regularly include fresh watermelons on the menu and combine them wisely with other foods. If the watermelon pulp in the digestive tract turns out to be in the wrong neighborhood, it is possible to lose not only beneficial properties, but also the beginning of painful gas formation processes, fermentation of intestinal contents, putrefactive processes and disorders. When and with what do they eat watermelon? With which food groups will sweet pulp show its best side and will be most useful?
Fruits and sweet fruits, which include watermelons, are recommended to be consumed without mixing with anything.
This is true for the most common way of eating, when you can eat watermelon, biting off a juicy slice with pleasure, enjoying the freshness and sugariness of the fragrant pulp.
The best time to eat watermelon is between meals. Not earlier than 2 hours after the previous meal and not later than 15–20 minutes before the next meal.
However, there are situations when the question: "How to eat watermelon: before or after meals?", You can get an unexpected answer. The fact is that watermelons can be safely included in the main menu for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The main thing is to follow the rules for combining products:
- The sweetness of watermelon perfectly emphasizes the taste of green crops and a variety of vegetables, low-fat dairy products, cottage cheese and soft low-fat cheese.
- In small quantities, various varieties of vegetable oils, nuts and dairy products, sour fruits and fruits can be added to dishes with watermelon, potatoes and babat, lean poultry and seafood, pumpkin and tomatoes.
- And with fatty types of meat and fish, eggs, butter and, most importantly, with cereals, flour products and cereals, you should not use watermelon.
The inclusion of dishes in the diet, where among carefully selected ingredients there is also watermelon pulp, will allow you to fully experience its benefits, diversify the menu and get the most vivid positive emotions.
Examples of dishes when watermelons can be eaten with benefit and pleasure
For a refreshing summer salad, in addition to the diced, peeled watermelon pulp, you need a little homemade cheese or feta, a handful of watercress, and cilantro... The ingredients are mixed and seasoned to taste with a pour of olive oil, lemon juice and spices.
For 100 grams of oil, take 2 teaspoons of sugar, black and red pepper, salt and juice of one lemon.The marinade is actively mixed and filled with watermelon cubes with cheese and herbs.
A salad of watermelon, slices of soft goat cheese, green arugula and rye croutons will help you feel the burst of energy. Moderately sweet onion, black pepper and a few drops of olive oil will add piquancy to the dish.
A salad of grilled large shrimp, tomatoes and juicy watermelon slices is the perfect light dinner at the end of a hot summer day or the perfect meal for a festive table in winter.
In addition to colorful small tomatoes, seafood and watermelon, you will need finely chopped, red onions and bell peppers. Fresh mint and cilantro, a drop of balsamic vinegar, as well as black pepper and salt to taste will be useful for flavor in the salad. Season the dish with olive oil.
Even on the hottest day, the mojito made from watermelon juice, lime juice and fresh mint will perfectly quench your thirst.
Salads, cold soups and light desserts with watermelon do not overload the digestive tract, cannot cause fermentation in the intestines and increased gas production. In combination with other foods, watermelon acts as a diuretic and is milder. And eating a lot of watermelon is unlikely to work.